E very team should experience a dream season once in their fans lifetimes For the Chicago White Sox and their long-suffering fans that year was 2005 The White Sox had not won a World Series since 1917 They were a seemingly unlucky franchise Perhaps their best team the 1919 squad gave baseball a black eye with the infamous Black Sox betting scandal The Sox’s 1959 Fall Classic appearance ended in a six-game loss to the Los Ange les Dodgers It was their only World Series appearance since the fixed Series of 1919 Three trips to the playoffs after 1959 also resulted in failure Former Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen’s hiring as manger in 2004 did not immediately work out Catcher A J Pierzynski jumps into closer Bobby Jenks’s arms as third Catcher A J Pierzynski jumps into closer Bobby Jenks’s arms as third baseman Joe Crede joins the celebration on October 26 2005 The White baseman Joe Crede joins the celebration on October 26 2005 The White Sox had just defeated the Astros 1 0 to earn a World Series sweep Sox had just defeated the Astros 1 0 to earn a World Series sweep DON’T STOP BELIEVIN 5
OZZIE GUILLEN On May 4 2010 Ozzie Guillen managed his 1,000th game for the White Sox It did not turn out as he had hoped a 7 2 loss to the Kansas City Royals at U S Cellular Field But Guillen was proud that he had lasted seven seasons as manager That was longer than any other White Sox manager since Tony La Russa who led the team from 1979 to 1986 I'm just lucky the outspoken Guillen said The front office and team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf gave me good ballclubs That's the only way you can stay Most of the time managers get fired They gave me the opportunity Guillen a native of Venezuela was a big-league shortstop from 1985 to 2000 He played his first 13 seasons with the White Sox After his playing career he was a coach with the Montreal Expos and the Florida Marlins until the White Sox hired him before the 2004 season 6 CHICAGO WHITE SOX But the White Sox won it all in Guillen’s second season in charge This was thanks to many factors General man ager Kenny Williams for example shook up the ros ter He subtracted some of the team’s power for speed He traded slugging left fielder Carlos Lee to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Scott Podsednik Podsednik would become the team’s speedy leadoff man Another Sox fix ture right fielder Magglio Ordonez left as a free agent for the Detroit Tigers The Sox signed right fielder Jermaine Dye to take Ordonez’s place Podsednik and Dye would play key roles in the regular season and in the postseason Other new faces became contributors to the team’s suc cess The Sox started the 2005 season with Shingo Takatsu of Japan as their closer
Scott Podsednik who was in his first season with the White Sox in 2005 helped Chicago with his speed He stole 59 bases that season But Dustin Hermanson soon replaced him When Herman son developed back problems the Sox turned to rookie Bobby Jenks Jenks had a troubled career in the Los Angeles Angels minor league system But he was outstanding as a closer for the White Sox The Sox also employed another Japanese player sec ond baseman Tadahito Iguchi He had been a power hitter in Japan before he signed with Chi cago prior to the 2005 season But Guillen needed a hitter to bat second Iguchi adjusted his style and hit behind Podsednik DON’T STOP BELIEVIN 7
